Key Articles from the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning

Explore these widely cited and influential articles from the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, published by the Ginsberg Center. All articles are available online to the University of Michigan community. Special thanks to Brianna Christy, for her work on this page.

This article focuses on how to effectively develop the skills of faculty who wish to create service learning courses as well as measure the success of service learning classes offered to students. This helps to promote the professional development of students engaging in service learning as well as the faculty who are creating the courses.

Understanding and having successful, mutually beneficial relationships is key in community-campus engagement. This article demonstrates the importance of involving the voices and perspectives of community partners in our work at the Ginsberg Center.

Service Learning, when done effectively, is a transformative tool that helps students and faculty to shift their perspective as they utilize the challenges they face in an intentional manner. While many articles stress the importance of service learning, not many explain the benefits of a transformative experience for the student as clearly and concisely as this article.

Basic Summary: A service learning course that has an explicit social justice orientation as well as an immersive international component can have a significant transformative impact on US students' worldview. Kiley helps his readers understand the importance of understanding the root causes of social inequality globally as well as locally.

Basic Summary: The key to effective service learning is more than just utilizing reflection but also creating opportunities for effective dialogue and utilizing dissonance as a learning tool. Kiley provides concrete examples of how to engage with students in a positive, challenging, and constructive way in order to raise critical consciousness within the class.

Basic Summary: There are 4 key areas of tension among students and agencies in service-learning partnerships: hours vs. commitment, learning vs. efficiency, flexibility vs. dependability, and idealism vs realism. We cannot ignore these tensions, but instead need to focus on navigating them so that partnerships can be mutually beneficial. Mills articulates the tensions that a present in a way that will help faculty understand the point of view of both their students and the communities in which they are partnering.

Basic Summary: As service learning continues to evolve, a social justice lens is important to utilize. Mitchell provides a solid understanding of how faculty can challenge personal beliefs of students as well as the social systems in place.

Basic Summary: The focus of service learning needs to be fluid as we meet students where they are at when they come to our courses. As we plan courses, engaging students on all levels is imperative to the success of each individual student. Morton helps to explain the different levels students may be and how to reach them where they are at.

There are 3 main stages for students who are in a service learning course: shock, normalization, and engagement. Effective service learning can result in positive changes in attitudes toward social justice, equal opportunity, and civic responsibility. Rockquemore lays out how faculty can utilize all 3 main stages throughout a service learning course.

The voice, needs, and concerns of the communities that academic institutions work with are just as important as the interest of the academic institution. The partnership needs to be do more good than harm. This article provides the reader with an insight into how service learning affects our community partners. Faculty can utilize this information to ensure that their service learning course is built upon authentic coalitions and our community partners have equal voice.

Short-term service learning may have negative effects on community organizations but community organizations continue to engage in service-learning as there is such a high need. We should be working to ensure that the students' contributions and the professors' goals result in more good than harm to the communities. This article may help faculty understand the challenges that their community partners are experiencing, in turn allowing faculty to develop ways to combat the challenges and provide more beneficial services to the communities.

Community partners care about the educational value for their students as much as they care about their organization. In turn, we must actively involve the voices of our community partners to ensure the best experience for our students as well as our communities. Worrall lays out different strategies that faculty may use to ensure that the voices of all parties are heard throughout the implementation of the service learning course.